canada cycling university victoria Goods and Services, May 3, 2005 1:32 PM 4 comments
Alumni Junk Mail
An open letter to the University of Victoria Alumni Association, requesting a response to, and ultimate termination of, its embarrassing, harassing and persistent "invitations" to "enjoy the benefits" of a MasterCard® credit card.
Update 2 Dec 2009: A UVic recruitment rep just told me how to unsubscribe from this junk: http://alumni.uvic.ca/subscriptions/
Since becoming a University of Victoria Alumni in 2003 I have received at least four "letters" from you, Mr. Don Jones, Director, Alumni Services, UVic Alumni Association, with the following description stamped tastefully above a vignette of an Ionic Greek capital: AN INVITATION FOR A SELECT GROUP OF ALUMNI.
I have attached a photograph of an envelope for clarity's sake:
The contents of these envelopes--ever consistent in appearance over the past two years--are thus: a letter addressed to presumably myself (a "Dear Friend of the University of Victoria"), a small application form, a return-postage-paid envelope and a small flyer with large bold type that reads "New Low Rate! 9.99%".
I'm sure you are all too familiar with these invitations, as each is addressed from, and signed by, yourself. But just in case, here is another photograph of the items in question:
Taking into account the struggle for funding I'm under no doubt our Alumni Association is constantly on the hunt for, and the supposed sincerity with which your invitations personally implore me to "enjoy the benefits of a Platinum Plus® MasterCard® credit card," whereupon with every purchase "a contribution is made to the UVic Alumni Association," I am still conflicted with a self-developed notion that my own university--that cherished institution where I and many of my closest friends spent four years, countless memories and even more dollars--is in fact analog spamming us.
I've compiled a brief list of the possible pros and cons of such a practice, and invite you, Mr. Jones, to add any further points I may have overlooked:
Pros:
- Increased funding for Alumni Association
Cons:
- Wastes paper and hurts environment
- Wastes money on mailing and production (either yours or MasterCard's)
- The "invitations" are misleading, creating false impressions and expectations
- Wastes my time (and many others, I would think) receiving, opening and recycling
- Embarrassing that my university must resort to repeated junk mailing
- Abusive and uninvited use of my personal information
What I am not inviting, however, are any further "invitations" from my Alumni Association. Please discontinue my "subscription" to your MasterCard® credit card junk mail.
Sincerely,
Jeff Werner
B.A. 2003
p.s. Should it ever choose to distribute it, I am still open to receiving any future correspondence from the Alumni Association that could be considered useful, informative or in any way "not junk mail" under the standard definition of the term.
4 comments on Alumni Junk Mail
1. Shawn L. | May 4, 2005 12:06 AM
Thank you Jeff for saying what needs to be said. Want some signatures to add to that letter? I just finished cleaning up my junk mail pile on my desk and I've decided that from now on I'm going to use those "prepaid" envelopes to mail the junk back to these people.
2. Jeff Werner | May 4, 2005 4:07 PM
I will consider your comment a "digital signature" Shawn and add you to the list (so far us two) of disgruntled alumni.
And this just in: go to http://alumni.uvic.ca/subscriptions/ and you can, well, change your junk mail options. I don't recall signing up for any of these, and the form is kind of weird in that it doesn't remember your preferences, but nice to see anyways. Found via the "We respect your privacy" box on the inside cover of the latest issue of the Torch, the UVic Alumni Magazine.
3. Dave | May 4, 2005 8:17 PM
I'll admit, being one of the few 54,000 who received this opportunity does make me all warm and fuzzy inside. But then it hits me, (Oh-ya) I work at a bank and have all the credit I need. Of course, it's much harder to brag about my education without the words 'UVic' and a picture of the school on the front of my card. But that's cool, I'll just go strut around in some fleece pants with the word 'UVic' in jumbo type on my ass. Put me on your list.
4. Graham McVicker | May 9, 2005 11:05 PM
Guess what I just received from Leslie Konantz, Director of Alumni Relations, UBC Alumni Association? That's right, an invitation to a select group of alumni.
I'm pretty irate and very embarassed by the general crappiness of my alma mater. In my opinion UBC, at the undergraduate level, has gotten worse every year since I began my undergraduate degree in 1997 (I'm now an employee at the University). Classes are huge, tuition keeps rising, and despite the fact university has poured millions into research and "campus community" infrastructure, no money for undergraduate teaching facilities has materialised.
Now, in addition to treating its undergraduates like crap, UBC has apparently expanded its horizons and begun to spam its alumni. Post secondary education in this Province has truly reached an all-time low.
A man may be very industrious, and yet not spend his time well. There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of life getting his living.—Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
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